Butchart Gardens

 Butchart Gardens, located near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island, contains 55 acres of simply gorgeous floral gardens. I had the great pleasure of visiting these gardens a couple weeks ago. Even in the fall, they are breathtaking!

In 1907, garden designer, Isaburo Kishida, came to Victoria to build a tea garden for Esquimalt Gorge Park.  A prominent citizen of the area, Jennie Butchart, saw the garden and commissioned Kishida to create Japanese gardens for her estate.  In 1909, the sunken garden was created, followed by a rose garden and an Italian garden.  


Ownership of the gardens remains within the Butchart family, but they are open to the public. The gardens are open every day from 9AM to 4 PM, except for Christmas when the gardens open at 1:00 PM.  Admission prices range from $3.00 for children, to $30.00 for adults, depending on the season you visit.

Swan Lake Iris Garden

 

Swan Lake Iris Garden is a 150-acre garden full of Japanese irises, camellias, lilies, azaleas, and magnolias. The 45-acre lake is home to eight species of swans.

The story surrounding the garden is rather interesting. It began in 1927 as a private fishing retreat for Hamilton Carr Bland, a local businessman. He had attempted to landscape his home with irises but failed miserably. Frustrated, he dug up all the iris bulbs and dumped them at the lake. The next spring, the irises came up and bloomed. They've been flourishing ever since. Mr. Bland deeded the gardens to the city in 1949.

The gardens are open from 7:30 a.m. until dusk. Admission is free. (The best time to view the irises is from mid-late May until early June.)

Summerville Azalea Park

 

Summerville Azalea Park, located in Summerville, South Carolina, is a 16-acre public park. Of course, it has many beautiful flowering azaleas. It also has dogwood, wisteria, and crepe myrtle, as well as five butterfly-reflecting ponds, bronze sculptures, a gazebo, and ornamental bridges.

It's a lovely place to spend an afternoon wandering down the nature trails. Spring is the best time to view the colorful blooms.

The park is open from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Admission is free. 

Naples Botanical Garden

 

Naples Botanical Garden is located in Naples, Florida.  Believe it or not, this 170 acre site once used to be a strip mall.  In 1993, eight Naples residents with a dream of creating a world class botanical garden, transformed it into seventy acres of beautiful tropical gardens.  These include a Children's Garden, Brazilian Garden, Caribbean Garden, Florida Garden, and Asian Garden.

There are also 90 acres of beautifully restored natural habitat.  Visitors will enjoy orchids, palm trees, and fruit trees, along with two lakes and a large wetland.

The gardens are open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Admission is $14.95 for adults and $9.95 for children.

Alaska Botanical Gardens

 

 

Alaska Botanical Gardens, located in Anchorage, Alaska opened in 1993. It covers about 110 acres and contains over 1,000 varieties of plants native to southcentral Alaska.  There's an herb garden, a rock garden, and a wildflower walk.  It's a great place to hike with spectacular views of the Chugach Mountain Range.  Nature lovers will enjoy it for bird watching, and occasionally will spot moose and bears.

The gardens are open year-round from dawn to dusk.  The cost of admission for adults is $7.00.  For children, admission is $5.00.
  

Zilker Botanical Garden

 

Zilker Botanical Garden is located in Austin, Texas.  It covers 30 acres on the south bank of the Colorado River near downtown Austin.  For this reason, it is often called, "the jewel in the heart of Austin." There are many lovely gardens here, including a rose garden, herb garden, Japanese garden, Pioneer garden, and children's garden.  Visitors will enjoy roaming around, seeing streams, waterfalls, and koi-filled ponds.

The gardens are open daily from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM.  The cost of admission is $2.00 per adult and $1.00 per child.

Foellinger-Freiman Botanical Conservatory

 

The Foellinger-Freiman Botanical Conservatory is located in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.  It was opened in 1983 and covers a total of 100,000 square feet.  It contains over 1200 plants from 500 different species.

The conservatory features a 25,000-square-foot seasonal garden, a tropical garden with a gorgeous waterfall, orchids, palms, and a desert garden.  There is also a lovely outdoor area.

It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Thursday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Sunday from noon to 4:00 PM.  Admission is $5.00 per adult and $3.00 per child.

Charles W. Ireland Sculpture Garden

 

Today's garden is a little bit different.  It's not so much about the plants, as it is the artwork.  The Charles W. Ireland Sculpture Garden, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is part of the Birmingham Museum of Art.  It is a 30,000 square foot garden designed in 1993 by Elyn Zimmerman.  It has three levels with changing exhibits:  The Red Mountain Garden area which houses sculptures of Augusta Rodin and contemporary artists, a Lower Gallery which is for temporary exhibits, and the Upper Plaza which is for monumental sculptures.  Two very nice features are the waterwall, entitled, Lithos II by Elyn Zimmerman, and the colorful Blue Pools Courtyard by Valerie Jaudon.

The gardens are a nice place to go for a leisurely stroll, or to park yourself on a bench and admire the artwork.

The gardens are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.  Admission is free.

South Arkansas Arboretum

 

The South Arkansas Arboretum, located in El Dorado, Arkansas, was opened in 1965, and is Arkansas' only state park located within a city.  It's a 13 acre garden which features plants found in the Arkansas West Gulf Coastal plain.  Visitors will enjoy a pretty stream and small waterfall along with all of the flowering plants.  There are about two miles of paved trails and nice places to stop and have a picnic.

The Arboretum is open daily, except for holidays, from dawn to dusk.  Admission is free.

Jasmine Hill Gardens

 

Jasmine Hill Gardens and Museum is located in Montgomery, Alabama.  It is known as "Alabama's Little Corner of Greece."  There are over twenty acres of flowers and classical sculptures, including many of Olympic heroes and mythical gods.  One fascinating feature is a full-scale replica of the Temple of Hera ruins as found in Olympia, Greece.  The Museum on the grounds displays memorabilia of Olympic games of the past.

The gardens are open Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from noon to 5:00 PM.  From July through October, they're open on Saturdays only.  Admission for adults is $10.00 and for children, it's $6.00.